When are you a 'Veteran?'

To me you are not a veteran until you finish both Basic training and AIT. Why should anyone give that title to you if you can't even finish training. In my opinion, if someone goes to Basic training for a couple of weeks or drops out during AIT they did not actually serve their country or do anything productive for the Army. This opinion is of course for people that just quit or have so many discipline problems they get forced out. If someone got hurt in Basic or AIT during some type of training (not from doing it on purpose or being dumb) then that is different because to me they wanted to serve they just got hurt.

My opinion may not be the norm, but I think if you make it through AIT/Tech School/Whatever your branch calls it, then you have reached a status that is deserving of the title Veteran. Put another way, once you are in your specialty, you are serving to your full capacity, and therefore are a Vet IMHO...

I have a hard time embracing the title of "Veteran" for myself because I grew up going to the Legion Hall with my grandpa and had the understanding that Veteran = Combat Veteran. Therefore, due to the fact that I haven't deployed yet, I am not comfortable referring to myself as a Veteran yet.

Again, this is a personal hang up, and not one I direct at others (just myself).